Monday, 30 September 2013

Review // My Nu Leng @ Mint Lounge

My Nu Leng finally came to Manchester on Thursday and played a blinder of a set in conjunction with Sick Chirpse and Hit & Run- Pros: Dancing to Livin' Joy, Cons: Thinking it was an acceptable move attending in some form of bastardized ghetto headscarf and regretting it instantly in the heat. I attended with mediocre expectations and was completely proven wrong; hello blast-from-the-past track selections, on-point mixing and a whole plethora of shape cutting (Seriously, my neck hasn't been the same since- but that could just be down to also seeing Loefah and Funkineven in the space of twenty-four hours...). Click here to read or for an unedited version just scroll below!My Nu Leng @ Mint Lounge

If you’re not based up here in the grey city, you’re an inauspicious creature for missing out on the countless nights of mischievism that the hilarious writers behind Sick Chirpse have been bringing to Manchester venues, intended for those with their ears to the ground. Pretty good for two guys who “…got really wasted and decided to start a blog”, isn’t it? For this month’s outing, those crazy cats joined forces with tattlers of bookings fresh, danceable and even legendary in the city, Hit & Run, to cinch a night of screwfacing and (in)appropriate grinding with Bristol begetters, My Nu Leng.
That’s the thing about these Manchunians, they like to keep it in the family, as noted by Jonny Dub gracing the decks from the moment we walk through the maze-like corridors of Mint Lounge. With his laudably skilled set- not only technically speaking- and the addition of an unbeatably eclectic yet engaging track list, reconfirm that this crate-digger isn’t just another opening DJ, with an unparalleled audience rapport. The boisterous arm jerking during Daphni’s ‘Ye Ye’, the eyes closed foot stomping in old school recognition of Wookie’s ‘Battle Garage’ and beefy Danny Brown cuts are hardly obscure choices, yet it is the tangle of bodies writhing down the front fused with the freedom and attitude of a true pro, that really makes this feel more like a party than a ticketed event. Besides, where else would you be able to shimmy to Tag Team’s ‘Whoomp! There it is’, before trying impress the nearest babe that you heard Blue Daisy’s ‘Used To Give A Fuck’ six months ago, as it blasts out overhead so early on a Thursday night?
After a comedic performance from host Chimpo involving a confectionery necklace and some seriously poor aiming skills, proceedings only get even more peculiar when the monochrome uniformed Duo’s set - Tommy sported a Patta t-shirt, whilst Jammo represented Black Butter- was spun out of consummated mayhem. You can thank Daniel Bedingfield's 'Gotta Get Thru This' for assisting us in retracting our originally naive perceptions that this would be a firm set of chunky booming tech-house, as early noughties guilty pleasures are cited as nothing to be ashamed of. Shimmering edits of Modjo’s ‘Lady’ cause even the most stationary hips to swing in unison and speeding up Crystal Water’s ‘Gypsy Woman’ into a repetitive oblivion is nothing short of brilliance, in educating the night’s student clientele on classics’ that are older than most of the teeth in their head.
No mistake made, there are plenty of hefty 4/4’s thanks to Maya Jane Cole and Mosca releases that the audience go crazy for, as the familiar surfaces and merging some of the UK’s most loved classics from the likes of Dizzee Rascal and The Streets contribute in bringing back the rudeboys’ present to throw up the gun fingers with MC T-Man on stage. Bursting out with their influx of heavy duty bass and striking a chord that as a unit, these producers’ have an undeniable flair for their practice with daring selection, ensures that My Nu Leng were welcomed back with open arms to the city.